Machine for the manufacture of pipes



May 14, 1935. L. BILLE 2,001,237

MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PIPES Filed April 14, 1931 4 sheets-sheet 1 L iNvmToR= d n@ '/Zef AT T ORNEY May v14, 1935.

L. BILL MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PIPES Filed April 14.V 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 14, 1935. l.. BILLE MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PIPES Filed April 14, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 14, 1935. y 1 BILLE 2,001,237

MACHINE FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PIPES Filed April 14, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 14, 1935 2001237 r n MACHINE'FOR 'rmi MANUEACTUBE' 0F riens .i v

Lon Bill, Nogent-sur-MarnaFrancef I I' Application April 14, 1931,-Seral In France May:8,`1930 1 Claim.

invention has for its object a machine ment of the invention.

designed for applying a metal safety reinforcemeint` to pipes. This invention is an improvement on the machine described in the French Patent No. 677,365 dated Oct. 22, 1928.

This invention will now be described, reference being had to the drawings appended hereto wherein:-

Figure 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the machine, the mandrel over which the pipe is made being shown in cross section.

Figure 2 is a. side view of the machine of Figure 1.

Figures 3 and 4 relate to an improved embodi- Figure 3 shows a modification of the structure shown in Figure 1, wherein the means for reinforcing pipes contains a tensioning device.

Figure 4 is a side view of Figure 3.`

The present invention is particularly useful in the reinforcing of tubes or in the manufacture of reinforcing elements for concrete tubes and will be described in connection with a machine for making reinforced concrete tubes.

As shown in Fig. l, a mandrel 5, having removable metal ends 6 provided with deep grooves I and protrusions 8, is mounted for rotation. Mandrel 5 provides a support for the concrete coating 3. The ends 6 support the longitudinal reinforcing rods I which are retained in place by nuts 9. Upon tightening nuts 9 the ends of rods I are bent as shown at II. After securing one end of a rod I, the other end is drawn by a tool I 8 provided with rod-gripping means to tighten the same, and while in a tightened condition the other nut 9 is secured to maintain the rod taut.

Steel wire 2 is then passed between the jaws of the winding device 4. One of the jaws I'fiis stationary on the device while the other jaw I3 is movable about a bolt I4 provided with a spring I5 under the nut I6. As the said nut I6 is adjusted, the jaw I3 will exert a greater or less pressure on the steel wire 2 so as to put the same under desired tension as it is wound about the longitudinal rods or bars I.

The pitch or spacing of the helices is obtained automatically by means of a distance ruler I I (Fig. 2) provided with a steel spring bearing at I8 under the pipe in formation against the helix formed previously; the steel wire under tension as coiled comes into engagement with the said ruler, the thickness of which defines the spacing of the helices. 'Ihe steel ruler I'I is tightly pressed against the pipe by means of a turnbuckle I8 adjustableat will. VThe winding device 4 ispushed'by the ysaid ruler .by-means of a` bolt I9 .passingtherethrough.Vv AThe ruler I'I thus guided byr theprecedinghelii; operatinglike the threadr of alead-screlw adjusts the pitch of the-heXbcing formed? br, Pushinglihe Winding device 4.A In order to allow the said` device to move in response to the thrust from the ruler, it is provided with a, suitable number of rollers 2i] or ball-supportedy wheels, etc., running on the solid or hollow cylinders 2l. A hook 22 prevents the device from getting out of its races.

The mandrel and the straining device are operated by means of the motor 23 which through a belt 24 drives a pulley 25 (Fig. 2) keyed on a shaft 26 rigid with a worm spindle 2'I. The spindle 2'I is adapted to drive a Worm wheel 28 secured through a part 29 (Fig. 1) atthe extremity of the removable end of the mandrel.

Obviously, the mandrel instead of comprising removable ends may be provided with collars located at the extremities thereof and fitted with the same tensioning and securing means for the longitudinal rods.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4, means are provided for tensioning the longitudinal rods or straight bars and the metal guides or turns and for making the machine available for the manufacture of reinforced concrete pipes.

For that purpose (Fig. 3) metal discs 3l are associated with the machine and can be caused to slide on rods 32 by means of screws 33 operated by means of hand wheels 34. The iirs't tube 35 is positioned in the usual manner between the discs 3 I. The outer surface of the said'iirst tube is corrugated on a certain length at the ends thereof or on the whole length so that when the helices are wound under tension they will force the bars or longitudinal rods which generally are made of thin strap iron down to the bottom of the corrugations, thus considerably increasing the tension on account of the lengthening of the said longitudinal rods resulting from their being received in the bottoms of the corrugations. The latter may be replaced by a wire wound asv coarse-pitch turns on the said first pipe where the latter is made perfectly plain outwards. Y

In order that the said first tube may not break under the tension exerted by the straining der vice 4 in Fig. 1, a follower 33 (Fig. 4) is associated with the said device, which is secured by means of a curved bracket 37 bolted on the'same. This follower rolls on the iirst interior tube. When the inner tube is of appreciable length and there is' tube.

considerable tension onk the wire being wound on the tube, there is a tendency for the tube to be deflected toward the direction from which the wire isv fed'- Under certain conditions, this deflection may be suicient to break the tube. To avoid this deflection the follower 36 is provided. Associated with the winding device is also a lever provided with a counterweight` 31b (Figs. 3 and 4) to measure the tension to be given'to the wire of the spirals.

As the wire passes between the jaws I2 and I3,

there is a tendency for them to be pulled along with the wire due to the friction between the wire and the jaws. arm carrying weight 31h, there Ais, ak tendency for this arm to raise when the jaws move toward the Now there will be a definite relation \be' tween the tension of the wireand the weight'31b raised by the arm and the weight 31b will be a measure ofthe tension in the wire.

In order that thewinding device 4 in Figfl may be pushed easily by thes'pacing ruler I1,y a

small diameter cable 4011's securedv tothe winding device 4 and runs/over sheaves 4Iand 42. YAttached to the end of the cable are weights 43 so adjusted as to exert a sufficient pull on the device Since the jaws are xed to the f in order that the spacing ruler shall have but an insignificant resistance to overcome for moving the device, without danger that the helix shifting the ruler be drawn backwards by the latter, which would decrease the spacing or pitch of the helices. Theiron straps for the longitudinal rods may be corrugated before-hand to be secured in the corrugations in the first pipe, which is necessary chi'eiiy in the manufacture of corrugated pipes.

I claim:-` y A n apparatus for applying wrapped wire armor on the cylindrical surface of tubes, comprising meansfor supporting and rotating a tube, a track parallel to the axis of the tube, a carriage movably mountedon said track, means on said carriage for guiding a wire onto the rotating tube, a distance ruler formed of spring material fulcrumed on the carriage and having one end bearing on the tube and engaging the last winding of the wrapping on the tube so that rotation o f the tube, dueto the 'pitch of the winding in engagement with the ruler, lwilleifect a movement of the carriage axial-v ly of the tube, and means associated with theV other/end of the-distance rulercfor adjusting the pressure of the ruler on the tube.

v LoN BILLE. 

